jaehyun nervously cleared his throat as he stepped inside the modern building that were nakamotors' headquarters. the automatic doors slid open, allowing him to step inside and approach the reception where a few people were lined up, checking their computers.

"e-excuse me." the former ceo stuttered, catching the attention of one of the workers.

the lady behind the desk lifted her head with a smile, her eyes widening slightly when she realised who was standing in front of her.

she immediately stood up from her chair, her sudden movement catching the attention of the others who soon did the same before they were all bowing in front of jaehyun.

"good morning, mister jung." the closest from jaehyun declared. "yuta is waiting for you in his office. you may go there directly."

jaehyun blinked a few times, definitely not expecting such a grand welcome by the nakamotors employees.

"t-thank you." he replied, bowing slightly before turning on his heels and heading towards the lift he had already taken a few times to get to yuta's office. he checked the workers at the reception quickly, only to realise that they were still all standing looking in his direction with bright smile.

the former ceo shook his head as he stepped into the lift, pressing the floor of yuta's office before waiting for the doors to close and for the lift to go up.

he heaved out a long sigh in the lift, wondering what turn his and yuta's conversation would take. they would discuss about the stuff yuta had exposed during world creativity and innovation day the day before, that's for sure. but to which extent? would yuta make a business proposal to jaehyun? would he just tell him that it was all an act in front of the public when he had other plans?

jaehyun had no idea, and he definitely didn't know what to expect. what if yuta was avenging taeyong by doing this, what if this was all a trap in which jaheyun was falling?

well, the former ceo didn't have much time to think about it because the elevator dinged, signalling that he had reached his floor, and soon, the doors opened, allowing jaehyun to step out of it and head in yuta's office direction.

nothing had changed there, the two office desks were still the same, covered by all types of documents and folders, and the view was still as beautiful as it used to be in the past.

"oh, jaehyun! you're here!" yuta exclaimed when he caught a glimpse of the former ceo. he stood up from his chair and walked in front of jaehyun, the korean holding his hand out for a handshake which was ignored by the japanese male who pulled him in a quick hug, squishing jaehyun's hand between their bodies. "jaehyun is fine, right? no need for me to call you 'mister jung', we're friends now."

jaehyun blinked a few times, surprised by the sudden friendy gestures.

"f-friends?" he repeated, quite taken aback by the ceo's antics.

"yeah, are we not?" yuta raised a brow. "i get that we started quite roughly, but we're not even business rivals anymore, so... yeah."

the former ceo stayed frozen on his spot, definitely not understanding what was going though yuta and why he was happening so sweet with him. "a-are you acting like this to kick me in the back later...?" he asked sceptically, even though he doubted yuta would truly admit it if it was the case.

"acting like what?" the japanese male raised a brow.

"like... friendly, and like you're happy to see me." jaehyun explained.

yuta crossed his arms over his chest. "am i not allowed to be happy to see you? it has been what...? well, before yesterday at least, it had been a whole year."

"but with what happened with taeyong- "

"your boyfriend, you mean?" yuta cut his words, his statement earning a surprised look from jaehyun. "taeyong called me yesterday night after he got back home. he kind of mentioned how you talked things out and got together."

jaehyun didn't answer, keeping his eyes on yuta as he processed his words.

"why do you look so surprised? i thought you knew there were no secrets between taeyong and i."yuta snorted.

"i remember it didn't use to be like that." jaehyun retorted as sassily, referencing to the relationships that they hid from each other, and the fact taeyong couldn't drive.

"sure, but we learnt from our mistakes." yuta shrugged. "you should do the same. it could help, you know."

"yeah, i do." jaehyun hummed, completely convinced by ytua's words. he had made lots of mistakes since the beginning of his life, and he was decided not to repeat them.

"so, now that you know that i don't have anything against you anymore, can we skip to the good part?" yuta asked cheerfully after a brief pause, clapping his hands like a kid.

and there, jaehyun found again the yuta he knew who looked nothing like the other ceos of the industry.

"are you sure you don't have anything against me anymore?" jaehyun asked for confirmation.

"well, as long as you don't fuck everything up again." yuta replied truthfully. "actually, after you told me more about what had happened, i started understanding your motives better. and sicheng helped with your case a lot, telling me how miserable you looked and everything. oh, and the fact i could see you trying to win taeyong back for so long without ever thinking about giving up. yeah, this all helped making me realise that maybe, what you did was not entirely you."

"i'm not like that." jaehyun assured. "not anymore."

"yeah, i hope so." yuta nodded. "which is why i would like you to become the co-ceo of the new company i created."

jaehyun couldn't help but smile at yuta's words, still not believing that the ceo was putting faith in him after everything that happened, and after he was so hostile to him.

"speaking of which, could you maybe enlighten me on this whole situation?" jaehyun questioned.

"sure! come sit." yuta nodded, inviting the former ceo to take a seat on one of the chairs in front of yuta's office desk while the ceo took the other.

"so, tell me more."

"basically, ilsung and your father were plotting something nasty. and i think that they planned on destroying jung corporation to make nakamotors grow even more rapidly. and their next plan was to take nakamotors away from me." yuta explained, lying all of the pieces of the puzzle he had gathered in front of them to understand the situation better. "but thankfully, i overheard them talking about it before they could put their plan into action, and i fucked them up. ilsung was buying more and more shares, and i needed to find a way to make him lose them."

jaehyun nodded, not very surprised that after the success they had had with jaehyun's company, his father and ilsung wouldn't try to attack another big company.

they were the perfect representation of the businessmen of this sector anyway, greedy men who only thought about their money. but fortunately, if they had managed to make jaehyun fail, yuta had managed to make them fail.

"so, you made nakamotors go private to have him selling them back to you." jaehyun stated, recalling what had been said at work creativity and innovation day the day before.

"exactly." yuta nodded.

"and to prevent him to keep a hold on the company or to sue you, you delisted nakamotors." jaehyun continued.

"and before that, created another company and sold all of nakamotors' activities to it. that way, ilsung has nothing linking him to that company and he cannot get to me." yuta concluded to which jaehyun nodded, a small smile creeping on his face at the thought of having defeated his father and ilsung.

"very nice business decisions for someone who wanted to be a mechanical engineer." the former ceo declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

yuta's head shot up, looking at jaehyun with wide eyes at what he had just declared.

he was sure that no one in the business knew about how he had ended up as a ceo, and yet, here was jaehyun, casually speaking about his past ambitions as if it was common knowledge.

"why do you look so surprised? i thought you knew there were no secrets between sicheng and i."jaehyun mimicked yuta's words from a while ago, making the ceo sitting in front of him sigh and chuckle lightly.

"you scared me for a second."

"as if it was bad for people to know that you worked hard to get there." jaehyun rolled his eyes. "you know, people already know that you're not like other ceos, so, they wouldn't be surprised if you told them."

"i know." yuta nodded. "but i like the mysterious image that i have, you know? like 'where could this handsome and young ceo come from?'."

jaehyun chuckled lightly at yuta's words, finding them to be exactly the type of things the japanese male would be saying. it falt good to him, to laugh so freely at the stupidities yuta could say, and jaehyun found himself regretting not to try to get to know yuta before because he was too focused on crushing him and hating him for who he was.

"so, sicheng was right..." jaehyun declared with a small smile, looking in yuta's direction.

"my baby is always right, so yes." yuta nodded, quite surprised by hearing his boyfriend's name come up in the conversation. "but i'm curious. what was he right about?"

"he once told me that you were someone nice to be around. and even that you and i could become good friends."

"well..." yuta shrugged. "i am someone nice to be around, that's true." he said while wiggling his brows.

"he didn't warn me about the overdeveloped ego, though." jaehyun declared, making yuta laugh again.

"he didn't?" yuta tilted his head to the side. "it's my main personality trait, though..."

jaehyun and him both laughed together after those words left yuta's mouth, the two males enjoying the cozy atmosphere that had settled around them. it felt weird for them to be in this place where they used to work as rivals and to have a completely other dynamic. but fortunately, 'weird' wasn't always a bad thing.

"no, but seriously, to come back to what i said, i do believe as well that we could be good friends."jaehyun declared after their laughter died down. "we just met in unfortunate circumstances at first, but we can get over that."

"well, as long as you promise me not to fuck my secretary up again, i'd be happy to be good friends with you." yuta declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

"it's not in my plans, trust me on that one." jaehyun assured, earning a small nod from the ceo.

before any of them could start talking again, the lift dinged, signalling that someone had entered the office. and effectively, taeyong's voice was heard a second later.

"hey, yuta! i'm so sorry, i'm late." the secretary declared, placing a heavy cardboard box on his desk.

"oh, don't worry, yong. you're right on time." yuta replied. "i was having a talk with your boyfriend."

"my boyfriend?!" taeyong gasped before turning around and meeting eyes with jaehyun who was still seated on the armchair facing yuta's.

"surprise..." jaehyun wiggled his brows as he stood up, looking at taeyong who was rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"come on, yong. just go and kiss him before he disappears." yuta rolled his eyes at his secretary's antics.

taeyong obliged, immediately hopping towards his boyfriend and leaning forwards with a shy smile, placing a quick peck on jaehyun's lips before pulling back with red cheeks.

however, jaehyun wasn't satisfied with this quick peck, causing him to grab taeyong's collar and pull him closer again, now properly kissing him with an open mouth and a teasing tongue.

in the middle of their make-out session, another ding sound came from the lift, revealing a boy wearing very familiar orange shorts.

"i have 20 minutes before my next appointment so- wow, i see everybody's here." sicheng stopped himself mid-sentence as his eyes fell on taeyong and jaehyun kissing passionately in the middle of yuta's office. as much as the sight was unexpected, he wasn't that surprised considering taeyong had called yuta to tell him about jaehyun and his new relationship the night before, and sicheng happened to be lying in bed with yuta at that time.

"aw, baby!" yuta exclaimed when he saw his boyfriend. "thank god you're here, they're making me feel like i'm single." he added, making grabby hands towards his boyfriend.

sicheng ignored taeyong and jaehyun who were still to engrossed in each other's lips to care about the chinese male's arrival. he just dropped his bag in a corner of the room before making his way to his needy boyfriend who had stood up from his own armchair to open his arms wide.

the chinese male was quick to let the ceo wrap his arms around him and to tilt his head up so that his lips could meet his boyfriend's in a passionate kiss.

the office became almost silent, the only sounds disturbing it being the occasional kissing sounds that came with the two couples' make-out sessions. but well, none of them could care less, the four males too focused on each other and in their own world to realise how weird the scene might be for someone coming from the outside.

but well, at the same time, no one else would be coming in yuta's office considering all the people that were allowed there without notice were already inside.

as hard at it was to pull away for sicheng and yuta, it was much easier than for jaehyun and taeyong who had just started being together after one year of being apart. so, after long seconds of hugs and kisses, sicheng and yuta stopped kissing, looking into each other's eyes lovingly for a while more before straightening their backs and turning around to look at the two others.

and inevitably, despite them being out of breath, they couldn't keep their mouths unglued for long, causing them to keep leaning forward and kiss each other. yuta and sicheng couldn't help but share a look, giggling silently as they both recalled a moment in their relationship when it used to be like that for them too – now, they just had a lot more self-control and waited to be alone in a bedroom to do that.

"so, if you guys are done making out, maybe we could discuss about jungkamotors, which is the main reason why jaehyun is here today." yuta declared after a while, an eyebrow raised as one of his arms was around sicheng's waist.

jaehyun and taeyong were forced to part this time, the two of them pouting slightly as their lips felt weirdly lonely. but well, they were still in yuta's office, and sicheng and yuta were there, watching them so maybe, they should keep that for later.

jaehyun cleared his throat, walking back to the armchair he had been sitting on and plopping down on it, not forgetting to wrap an arm around taeyong's waist and to pull him securely on his lap before he could escape.

it seemed like yuta had the same idea as him considering how sicheng was trying to push yuta's arms away to stand up from the boy's lap – which yuta definitely didn't allow.

"i'm all ears." jaehyun stated, ignoring taeyong and sicheng's wiggling on yuta and his laps. "tell me about jungkamotors."

"well, there's nothing much to say." yuta shrugged. "it's basically a private company that i created to replace nakamotors. but since your own business disappeared a year ago and since i saw that we worked kind of well together, i was wondering if it couldn't be a good idea to manage this company together. that way we're no longer rivals, you have a company, and so do i."

jaehyun processed the words that had just been said, his hand unconsciously rubbing taeyong's stomach. the two males that had been forced onto their boyfriend's laps had stopped wiggling by now, finally accepting to stay in their embrace and receive comforting loving gestures while they discussed business matters.

"the offer is very tempting." jaehyun nodded after a few seconds, offering yuta a smile.

"i mean, that's the point." yuta chuckled. "i didn't register the company as 'jungkamotors' to have you refusing the offer. the name is a merging of our names, and so, the company is supposed to be a merging of our knowledge and power."

"and so, would it be reasonable for me to accept it so quickly?" jaehyun questioned with a brow raised.

"i mean... you don't have a job. and you already know what the job consists in." yuta shrugged. "i'm pretty sure you'd be an amazing co-ceo for jungkamotors."

"and are you ready to call co-ceo a guy who ridiculed himself at world creativity and innovation day a year ago and who let his business go bankrupt?" the korean male inquired, knowing that yuta could lose clients because of this.

"nothing is preventing me to write a statement on why i decided to delist nakamotors. and i'm sure people would be more comprehensive towards you if they knew how bad you had suffered because of your father." yuta explained. "but more than that, it would be stupid from me not to want to call co-ceo a guy who managed to successfully lead the empire that was jung corporation at the age of 25 when all of his ancestors took it around their forties."

jaehyun met eyes with yuta, finding the japanese male looking right at him over sicheng's shoulder, a brow raised and a small smile plastered on his face.

he knew yuta had thought all of this. the ceo of nakamotors was someone brilliant, and he made sure that the decisions he was about to make were the right ones before actually making them. and so, this meant that if he had bet on a future for him and jaehyun, then it was the decision that would have the best impact on them both.

and actually, thinking about it, jaehyun couldn't find a reason why doing this was a wrong idea. yuta was right. that way, jaehyun would go back to owning a company and managing it, plus, he would do it with a friend, and by his good friend and his boyfriend's side. he would no longer be alone, hidden behind a stone-cold heart. and maybe this was the best thing for him, like sicheng had told him a few times.

"you don't have to give me an answer right now. i can wait." yuta assured. "but i would really like you to consider my offer."

"i accept." jaehyun simply replied to that.

"so fast?" yuta chuckled, not expecting the answer to come as quickly as that.

"well..." jaehyun's hold tightened around tayeong who was still sitting on his lap. "you said it before, i don't have a job right now, and i already know what to expect from the position. plus, i won't be alone this time. i'll have my boyfriend, and my good friend." he added, pecking taeyong's cheek before smiling at yuta.

the japanese smiled back at him, happy that jaehyun had accepted the offer and that they would be able to start building their own empire together. he dropped a quick peck on sicheng's neck as a silent way to thank sicheng. the two of them had discussed about this merging a lot, and sicheng had even been the one to suggest it in the first place, so yuta was happy that his boyfriend had found the right solution.

however, a frown appeared on his face after a second as he watched jaehyun pulling taeyong closer to him and kissing his cheeks again. "you two are very cute and heart-whelming, but a small warning; taeyong remains my secretary." the japanese informed with a glare. "so, find yourself another one."

jaehyun chuckled at those threatening words, not expecting less from the possessive japanese male who was currently holding his closest friend tight in his embrace, as if he was owning him. "i don't need any." jaehyun stated, winking at sicheng who smiled back at him. "you know i work better without a secretary anyway."

☏ the end ☏